Sunday, Aug. 3 was a day for making history in the Diocese of Sacramento.

In an elaborate procession, Bishop William K. Weigand carried the Eucharist in a golden, ornate monstrance through the doors of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, removing it from the church for the first time in its 114-year history.

At the conclusion of a solemn evening Mass, he ceremonially closed the doors of the cathedral in preparation for the first major renovation since the historic edifice was built by Bishop Patrick Manogue in the late 1880s and dedicated in 1889.

“It’s a bittersweet moment because we are leaving this cathedral, the city’s spiritual center,” the bishop said during the Mass. “But we know when we return it will be restored and renewed in all its splendor.”

The cathedral in downtown Sacramento will remain closed for the next 18 months while renovation is completed.

The time will be both memorable and challenging for the cathedral’s 2,000 parishioners, said Father James Murphy, rector, in his homily at the Mass.

“These are historic times for a number of reasons,” he said. “People 100 years from now will talk about what we’re doing here and will study the decisions we’ve made about the cathedral’s renovation.

“They will talk about the first recall of a governor of the state and comment on the sexual abuse crisis, the most serious one in the history of the American church. But I hope they will notice and remember the resilience of the people and the vibrancy of the church, because despite all our problems, the church goes on.”

As one chapter in the cathedral’s history was penned, Bishop Weigand began writing a new chapter in the diocese’s history.

He declared the opening of a synod, an extensive process to be carried out over the next 15 months, calling on laity, clergy and religious to participate in making diocesan law, steering the vision of the local church for many years to come.

Culminating in October 2004, the synod is the third in the diocese’s 118-year history and the first in nearly 75 years. The first synod was called by Bishop Manogue in 1887, one year after the new Diocese of Sacramento was created out of the former Diocese of Grass Valley. The second was convened by Bishop Robert Armstrong in 1929.

In his decree, Bishop Weigand said the faithful of the diocese will come together in the synod for “prayer, dialogue, discernment and deliberation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

The synod “will be an occasion for us as God’s pilgrim people of the church of Sacramento to reflect on the many graces which God has bestowed upon us,” he said. “We will pray for the grace, insight and strength to recognize and meet the opportunities for discipleship in an ever-changing world and to embrace the challenges of a church always in need of renewal.”

The word synod comes from two Greek words: “syn” which means together, and “hodos” which means way. A diocesan synod is commonly referred to as a way for the faithful to “come together” or “walk together.”

Between now and when the synod, with the theme, “Journeying Together in Christ,” is convened Oct. 11-13, 2004 at Holy Rosary Parish Center in Woodland, many preparations must be made to ensure its success and adherence to canon (church) law.

That job rests in the hands of the Synod Preparatory Commission, a group made up of more than 25 clergy, religious and lay members from throughout the diocese who advise the bishop on setting up the direction for the synod.

Their tasks include: recommending to the bishop the process for selecting delegates and for deciding what the synod will consider; surveying clergy, religious and laity in the diocese about synod topics; formulating the means by which the people of the diocese will be given spiritual and educational formation and information; and coordinating “speak out” sessions in parishes and deaneries as part of consulting the people of the diocese.

According to Mercy Sister Eileen Enright, whom Bishop Weigand appointed as director for synod preparation, the makeup of the synod is dictated by canon law.

She expects that out of the 340 members outlined to take part in the synod, about 250 of those will be from the laity, including a minimum of one layman and one laywoman from each parish or deanery in the diocese.

Delegates mandated by canon law — including members of the Priests’ Council and superiors of religious institutes — and deacons, religious and at-large members will make up the remainder of the synod membership.

“The dominant voice will be the laity,” said Sister Enright, noting that only clergy participated in the first two synods in the diocese’s history. “This will be the first synod where the majority of the delegates are lay people.”

She said that ultimately the synod delegates will make resolutions that are then presented to the bishop, who, based on the needs of the diocese, may promulgate them and make them diocesan law.

The synod will conclude a three-year process of reflection, prayer, self-study and pastoral planning announced by Bishop Weigand in 2001, with the intent of setting goals and objectives to guide the diocese through the year 2010.

The priests of the diocese began their own preparation for the process prior to 2001, when they gathered for several days in a special convocation in October 2000 and participated in a pastoral survey designed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) in December 2000. A special assembly of priests followed in April 2001, at which the general outline of the three-year pastoral planning process was accepted.

The first phase of the three-year process was a CARA-designed survey of some 65,000 adult Catholics in all parishes of the diocese in February 2002. The study showed that a large majority of Catholics were pleased with their parishes and parish leadership, and that they ranked children’s religious education, youth ministry, adult religious education and marriage preparation among top priority parish needs.

Phase two of the process is ongoing through the end of 2003, as parish staff and parishioners are meeting in cluster areas to share the results of their parish studies and pastoral plans, and to determine if there may be areas for collaboration that might avoid needless duplication, maximize diverse gifts and resources, and enable more effective ministries.

Phase three of the process is bringing to the diocesan synod the various parish plans and the prospects for collaborative inter-parish efforts, to help in setting diocesan priorities, goals and objectives, according to Sister Enright.

“The synod will culminate a process that has involved thousands of people in a great deal of surveying, consultation and discussion,” she said. “It’s a time to enter into discernment as an entire diocesan community.”

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